What do I Want?
by Ward Point
Summary: We've all asked ourselves this at least once in our lives, "What do I want?" In 1997, Katherine wanted to be a Ballerina. Kim wanted to win the Pan-Globals and more. Tommy, on the other hand, didn't know what the hell he wanted. Eight years later, in 2005, Katherine asks herself that question once again, and this time, the answer isn't so straightforward. T/K
1. Decisions, Decisions

Story Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

**Story A/N:** This my first really major writing project I've set for myself. Kat needs some love. Seriously. I don't read enough about Katherine. She's always mentioned fleetingly when talking about a Tommy/Kim romance. But most of them ignore Katherine, who I believe was a central (But unseen) part of Tommy's development. The timeskip between Turbo and Dino Thunder gives me some room to play around with, and establish a timeline of events which I believe can justify the more cynical, more sarcastic Tommy which is portrayed in Dino Thunder beyond "He grew up." and "Kim broke his heart with a letter." For this reason, we'll start Kat-centric.

In this fic, we're going to go back and forth, between Present (2005) and Past very frequently. On more than one occasion, I have found a few of my drafts to be really messy because of the sheer number of flashbacks I have planned. I'm going to try my very best to organise them so that you're clear on where something happened.

One of the recurring themes that went through my head as I was writing this was "What does Kat want?" An Ex-Ranger has hopes, dreams... She has a life of ups and downs. She has a life of triumphs and failures. At many points in our lives you would have asked yourself that question, "What do I want?" This is a recurring theme I'm going to focus on. At that point in time, what did Kat want?

And so I present to you "What do I want?".

**Chapter A/N:** The first few years of MMPR were a mess, in terms of a 'realistic' age where teenagers can actually fight. If we count it off by year, MMPR season 1 would have occurred when the first five were between fourteen to fifteen. Yet, they're already in high school. In MMPR Season 3, it's entirely possible that Tommy has a driving license at 16... But it's practically impossible for Katherine to drive legally, Australian Drivers drive on the right, while in the US it's on the left. Anyway... Once again, I need to establish the main timeline and a few assumptions that this story is going to go through. The Turbo Rangers graduated High School in 1997, so that implies the graduation ceremony should have been somewhere during Summer break, so Turbo the Movie happens somewhen in May... Moving forward, Turbo 2 should have started somewhere in October/November.

* * *

Chapter 1: Decisions… Decisions…

_May 2005_

"You really don't have to give us an answer now. You still have two months, take some time off and have a think about it."

Katherine Hillard nodded, giving her boss a polite, non-committal smile. "I will, have a good night." As her boss left her room, Katherine threw herself onto the bed, landing and luxuriating in the soft, fluffy blankets, letting out a sigh as she did so.

She had finished the last performance of their world tour of Swan Lake just a few hours ago. It was the last performance of her four-year contract, and she had to admit, it felt good. They had started their tour off in London, making a year-long trip around the world, finishing back where they started. To be honest, Katherine hadn't realized that her contract with the company was ending until she had been reminded two weeks ago, when a journalist had asked her what her plans were for the future after her contract ended. It had come as a rude shock to herself that she had been so immersed in her dance that she had not noticed that her four year contract with the company was coming to an end.

Katherine could hardly believe that it had been four years(!) since graduation. Back in 1997, if anyone had told her that she would become a world-renowned ballerina, she would have laughed their faces off. She was hardly that good. That much was obvious, her auditions have proved that. More often than not, she had relied on her substantial Ranger-level strength while dancing, compensating for the lack of technical expertise which resulted from lack of practice due to her Ranger duties.

After starting school in London, Katherine had practiced hard. Dance was her life. She couldn't count the number of days where her legs had given out on her due to sheer exhaustion. Despite having an advantage in terms of strength, she had to work hard to play catch up with other ballerinas who had incredible technique. It was one of the first lessons that Tommy and Adam had imparted to her while teaching her how to fight. All the strength in the world didn't matter if you didn't know how to use what you had.

It was a difficult first semester. London was a loud, vibrant city as opposed to the smaller, quiet town that was Angel Grove. Katherine had felt rather overwhelmed when she first arrived in London. In Angel Grove, a few bus services took you everywhere that you needed to go, but in London, there was the Tube, a huge network of train stations in addition to a multitude of bus services. She had spent a majority of her first week just getting oriented. Not to mention that there were other small things which needed getting used to. Having lived in Australia until sixteen, it had taken a while for her to get used to Imperial units, which Americans used. However, in London, there was a strange mix of two. The weight of produce was displayed in kilograms (In metric units) while distances were shown in miles (Imperial) having to convert back and forth was a mild annoyance.

Most of all, Katherine was lonely and a tad heartbroken. It was a dream come true for her to qualify for the Royal Academy, however, reality had hit her the moment she had sat down at the Juice Bar with her friends.

_October, 1997._

"That's incredible! You get to go to London to study now!" There was genuine happiness in Tommy's voice, which Katherine had been relieved to hear. His tone had been optimistic, and her spirits had lifted. Maybe they could…

"Yeah I know… It is pretty amazing… But there's just one thing…" Katherine wanted to make sure that the topic she desperately wanted to avoid for now never came up. Her downcast eyes met Tanya's, and it took less than a second for the two best friends to exchange an unspoken conversation.

"Kat, you can't give up this opportunity!" Katherine had never wanted to thank anyone as much as Tanya at that moment. She understood. Tanya knew the topic that she was trying to avoid.

"Well, you gave up singing to stay a Ranger, Tanya." Katherine replied. With the direction the conversation was heading, hopefully, Justin wouldn't be able to add anything to the conversation, innocent that he was, he could easily bring up a topic which was best discussed with a certain other Ranger in private.

"That's different; I can go back to it at any time." This wasn't really anything new to anyone sitting at the table. Tanya and Katherine were repeating a conversation they had had since graduation.

It was at that point that Jenny had shot her a smile over Stone's shoulder. Even as Katherine had returned it, she couldn't stop her smile from turning into a bittersweet one. Justin was probably too young to think about it, but she knew very clearly that Adam was trying not to bring up the elephant in the room… Or in this case, he didn't want to bring up the Red Turbo Ranger in the room.

It hadn't been long before Tanya and Adam had volunteered to take drive Justin home.

Finally they were alone at the table. Despite the noise of the juice bar, the silence that surrounded the two was deafening, the tension between them thick enough to cut.

It was Katherine who broke the silence first. "Tommy…"

Tommy stood up, offering his hand and a smile. To her surprise, his smile was genuine. Katherine could only stare at him in mild shock. His first smile had been a polite smile of interest, it had never reached his eyes… But this one… This smile was special. It had taken a while before Tommy had given her that smile, and she cherished it deeply.

"Kat. Let's have dinner."

"Tommy… I…" Katherine was conflicted. This… this was confirmation that the end was coming, wasn't it? Was half a year all she could possibly have with Tommy?

He shook his head, "I know what you're thinking, Kat. But today is your day. It's your life's dream to attend the Royal Academy. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I kept thinking about myself? No, tonight's all about you. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to drive you home, so you can get showered and changed. I'm going to make a reservation at a restaurant, and we're going on a date. Don't think, Kat. Just enjoy yourself."

_Hours later._

Tommy had been nothing but the perfect gentleman, and it was only when Katherine was standing on her doorstep with Tommy standing on the step just below hers did her mind go into overdrive. A tear fell down her eye, "Tommy…" Rationally, Katherine had always know that it was entirely possible that Tommy and her would not be forever, but being aware of that possibility and knowing that in just three months, she wasn't going to be together with someone she was in love with. She could feel the cracks forming in her heart, and she knew that as time passed, it was only going to get worse.

Tommy managed a smile before he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was a passionate one, his tongue slipping past her lips, exploring every inch of her mouth as if it was their last kiss. Tommy broke the kiss without separating completely. "We're not over." He whispered. Looking up into his eyes, Katherine watched his tears fall. Tommy had always been strong, as a leader, he had been strong for his team, he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it was so easy to forget that despite all that he had accomplished, he was only eighteen.

"It's only October, we still have three months before January… Besides… it's only three years." Katherine knew that it was a lie. Odds were that after she graduated, she wasn't coming back to Angel Grove. Still, hearing herself speak the lie comforted them both.

Tommy nodded, his shoulders shuddering. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you." Katherine replied through quiet sobs.

They kissed again, and this time, it was Katherine who deepened the kiss. "Stay with me tonight," she whispered.

Tommy's eyes widened as he broke the kiss. "Uhh… Wha…"

"I… have been waiting for a while." Katherine admitted, embarrassed. They had only been officially dating for four months, but the fact was that Tommy had taken six months to get his own feelings about Kim sorted out to ensure that his feelings for Katherine were genuine. In one of their rare heart-to-heart talks, Tommy had confided in Katherine that he did have very strong feelings for her, but it was the brainwashing fiasco with the Machine Empire that confirmed it. It was Katherine that broke though the haze that was Gasket's brainwashing. In the following months, their flirting had become more pronounced until Tommy finally found the courage to ask her on a date. To be fair, it was partly Katherine's fault as well. She had played hard-to-get. Shy Tommy was cute, and she had enjoyed seeing it while it lasted.

With hearts weighed down by years of combat and more loss on the way, they made love.

_Present_

Katherine shook her head, coming back to reality. It had been years since she had last seen her friends, and yet, her first thought had been Tommy. She sighed again, whether she liked to admit it or not, Tommy had played a huge part in her life. While they were teenagers, though it was embarrassing to admit it, she had basically worshipped the ground he walked on when she first met him. After finding out that he was involved with Kimberly, Katherine swore to stamp out the crush she had… But her hopes were raised six months later, after Kim broke up with him via a letter. It was another five before he asked her out. Besides Tommy, though, there was only one other person she was comfortable sharing intimate details of her life with, and that was Tanya.

Tanya, her teammate for nearly two years, her best friend and confidant… Katherine closed her eyes, her mind made up. Los Angeles it was.

* * *

End Notes:

Episode References: Power Rangers Turbo E15: Cars Attacks. Dialogue lines taken straight from episode.

This first chapter is a little short, but I needed to get some of what Kat's been doing out of the way.


	2. Tough Love

Chapter A/N: I admit that I have little to no knowledge of real ballet companies. I like my work to be as realistic as possible… But sometimes, it's difficult for you to find out much about a vocation until you really start working in it. I don't think the Royal Ballet performs internationally, but for all intents and purposes here, please assume it does. Forgive me.

From here on out, my Chapter Notes will be noting down a few technical difficulties I face when I write a chapter. The End Notes will contain a few explanations for the chapter itself, as well as some justifications where I deem necessary.

I know I didn't give you guys much to comment on in the first Chapter. I'd like to thank the people who followed and favourited the Story even though I really didn't leave you with much to like. Hopefully with more actual content, I can give you guys more reasons to favourite/follow this story.

This Chapter is titled: 'Tough Love', and it's self explanatory as you read through it. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 2: Tough Love.

_Two days later. June, 2005._

"Kat! I've missed you!" Tanya pulled Katherine in close in a full body embrace. "God… I can't believe it's been nearly three years since I last saw you!"

"I've missed you too, Tanya." Katherine smiled into her best friend's shoulder, hugging her tightly. It really had been a long time since she had seen her friends.

"I thought you were still in London. The internet was abuzz with your company returning to London with a huge performance! You really should have called before you came over. We could have gotten the gang together." Tanya gave her a look of reproach. "You really need to try and stop arriving unannounced, Kat."

"I'm sorry, Tanya… It was… well… one of those spur of the moment things." And that, it definitely was. The earliest flight to Los Angeles with a seat on it was just earlier this morning. It was a ten-hour flight which had left Katherine rather tired, but she had still managed to catch a cab to Tanya's place from LAX. In hindsight, Katherine really should have called ahead. Tanya had come a long way from deejaying at the local radio station. Her first album released in 2000 wasn't a real success, but neither could it be a considered a failure, either, and she entered the scene as a minor celebrity. However, Tanya had worked hard on her second album, and in late 2002, she had rocketed to stardom, touring the country. Just a few days ago, Tanya had wrapped up her third world tour, and this time, she had donated all her earnings from her third album and tour to helping the poor children in Africa. Her earnings from her second album had brought in a great deal of income, and to put it bluntly, Tanya was rich.

Everything considered, it was incredibly lucky that Tanya had been at home when Katherine arrived on Tanya's doorstep. The circumstances were so similar to the last two times Katherine had done this, and she knew from the way that Tanya looked at her that Tanya knew something was up.

During her time at university, Katherine had managed to earn enough money from waitressing part time to fly back to Angel Grove every winter and summer vacation to spend time with Tommy, who had been accepted into Caltech. That decision had surprised many of her friends, but not Katherine. She knew that Tommy had to keep moving forward, and he loved the adrenaline rush that came with fighting and racing. However, Tommy was a deeper individual than most people, most of all himself, gave him credit for. Katherine knew that he had applied on a whim, but she had seen it. That necessity to move forward manifested itself as a thirst for knowledge. At some levels, Katherine knew him better than he knew himself.

The long distance relationship had taken its toll on them, but as clichéd as it was; absence had made the heart grow fonder. Letters were sent to each other every other week, and the two often talked with their communicators. Until 2000, where she graduated _summa cum laude._

_5th December, 2000, London_

For the second time in years, Katherine was conflicted. When she was graduating, she could taste it. She was going to return to California, she was finally going to be able to be _together_ with Tommy. She had graduated _summa cum laude _just a week earlier, and she had sent applications to several dance companies in California.

Katherine knew she had a good chance to get a job to wherever she chose to apply. She was good, that much was said by the degree that was awarded to her "With Highest Honours".

Then again, a single letter on her table was confirmation that she was damned good. Good enough to be actively courted for by one of the top ballet companies in London, granted, it was just the _Corps de Ballet_. But this was the Royal Ballet. Things didn't get more serious than this.

This wasn't something Katherine felt she could go to Tommy to. They both were looking forward to this. That was the _plan_! Graduate, go back to California, and start their lives together!

Life did have a tendency to get in the way with the most straightforward of all plans…

This wasn't something Katherine felt she could talk to Tommy to. She didn't want to. It had hurt her enough to watch the happy façade when she gotten her acceptance letter to the Royal Academy. She never regretted that night, or the many nights afterward. Still, Katherine knew firsthand how much her leaving had affected him. Every date, every breathless encounter, was a bittersweet reminder of how soon she was leaving.

Katherine wouldn't put Tommy through that again. She wasn't some girl who was overly reliant on her boyfriend. She was a Power Ranger; she had beaten and destroyed monsters. Katherine shed tears when she realized how close she had come to killing Kimberly when she had stolen her predecessor's Power Coin. Katherine had shed tears over the thought of nearly having to kill Kim and Jason… Then she had shed tears over leaving her boyfriend. She had shed tears after a father figure gave up his life to cleanse the galaxy of evil.

That struck her hard. Despite all that she had gone through, Katherine was still a normal girl, with normal troubles. She had friends. In fact, her friendships had been forged in sweat, tears and blood. She wasn't alone.

A Ranger was never alone.

It took her a while, but Katherine managed to change her flight. The Royal Ballet had given her a month to decide. Her flight had originally been scheduled for the twentieth. But Katherine needed her team, she needed her friends.

Most of all, she needed her best girlfriend.

Tanya.

_7th December 2000 Los Angeles, California._

This was not how Katherine had imagined finding Tanya.

Katherine had expected to park her car, meet Tanya in her apartment and have a quiet talk on the couch. Maybe binge a little on brownies and ice cream.

Katherine certainly did not expect to see Tanya and Adam, both of them walking hurriedly away from a coffeeshop with flashing cameras in tow.

As Katherine drove up to the fleeing couple, her eyes met Tanya's. Tanya's eyes widened in surprise as Katherine gave her a small smile, nodding once. An unspoken plan formed between the two. Katherine extended a finger, pointing ahead. Tanya looked ahead, grinning. The next moment, she had broken out into a run.

Adam was surprised, but joined her. The sudden burst of speed that the two put on had left paparazzi stunned, it gave them two seconds before they started running after them.

Two seconds were just enough for Tanya and Adam to race across the small street right before a car horned wildly as it turned into that very same street, the loud noise momentarily causing the engrossed paparazzi to freeze, very literally like deer in headlights.

Winding down the window, Katherine yelled, playing the outraged citizen. "Do you people want to get yourselves killed or what? Look before you cross a road!"

_An hour later_

"That was a little dangerous back there, don't you think?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow as he opened the door to Tanya's apartment. He was trying to sound disapproving but Katherine could see the beginnings of a grin tugging at the sides of his mouth.

"Please, Adam, give me some credit. I was a Turbo Ranger." Katherine flashed a smile at him. Adam's façade broke completely as he grinned widely.

"Welcome back, Kat." He said, pulling his old teammate into a hug. Katherine returned it, smiling widely. "Tanya's making a pot of tea, come on in."

"Have I mentioned how much I love you, Kat?" Tanya quipped as she stepped out of the kitchen, the rejuvenating scent of Earl Grey filling the air from a pot she carried.

"Anything for a friend," Katherine smiled, reaching out to take the teacups and saucers that Tanya balanced in her other hand, setting the cups on the coffee table. "I have to admit, though, I really didn't expect paparazzi to come after you." Adam and Tanya had gotten together back in 1998, after… Katherine stopped her train of thought. This was hardly the time to be thinking about _that._

"That's kinda my fault." Adam had the good grace to look embarrassed. "They never found out about me until… just now." He leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It was nice while it lasted, but with the news that I'm going to release a new album in three months has renewed the press' interest in me. My publicist says it's a good thing, it 'builds up hype'." Tanya made quotation marks in the air, rolling her eyes as she did. "It's my business who I date, anyway." She sat down beside Adam, putting a hand on his back. "It's really not your fault sweetie, I didn't expect the press to actually be interested in me. Anyway, my publicist knows about you. She's paid to handle things like these."

"I wouldn't be too worried, Adam. Even if they did some digging on you, what would they find? A quiet, sweet boy who grew up in Stone Canyon… Runs a dojo endorsed by the great T.J Johnson, the Blue Space Ranger himself, with his best friend." Katherine teased. "He even coaches the local soccer team, and I bet all the kids love him."

"Don't forget to mention that he's a loving boyfriend who's also taking night classes for his Business Degree… That's romantic, smart… and of course, handsome and strong." Tanya joined in.

"Alright, enough." Adam was positively glowing as the two ladies heaped compliments on him. "What brought you back so early, Kat? I thought your flight was on the twentieth?" Adam changed the subject. As much as he appreciated the compliments, it wasn't very normal for Katherine to pop up unannounced.

The teasing glint in Katherine's eyes disappeared immediately, and the couple noticed it. Katherine chewed on her lip, wondering how to best approach the subject. She had really wanted a private conversation with Tanya, but she couldn't ask Adam to just leave. That was just plain rude.

"Sweetie-"

"Aw man I just-"

Tanya and Adam spoke at the same time, and then fell silent as they both realized what it was that Katherine wanted. Tanya fell silent, shooting Adam a look that asked him to continue. "There's no more milk in the fridge. I like my tea with milk." Adam smiled sheepishly, standing up, "You need anything else, Tanya?"

"Nah, I'm good, what about you, Kat?" Tanya looked to Kat.

Katherine could only reply with an awkward "No, thanks." Looking up, Katherine gave Adam a grateful and apologetic smile, quickly mouthing an "I'm sorry" to him.

Grabbing his keys, Adam left the apartment.

Tanya cut to the chase. "What's wrong, Kat?" The Yellow Ranger had known that something was bugging her teammate ever since seeing her on the street. Kat was different from her other teammates. Any of her other teammates would have arrived on her doorstep with pizza and Tanya wouldn't have bat an eyelid. Katherine, on the other hand, always called before coming over. It wasn't that they weren't close, but it was simply Kat being Kat, always unfailingly polite and considerate. She knew that Adam had sensed it too, which was why he had left the two women alone.

Katherine took a breath, reaching into her purse and pulling out a letter. She set it down on the coffee table, pushing it towards Tanya, not meeting her eyes. Tanya frowned. The last time Kat had closed up like this was back before Kat had left California. The crest on the upper right hand corner confirmed what she suspected, the letter wasn't sent by Tommy. Tanya reached over, picking up the letter and reading its contents.

Tanya felt as though she was back in 1997 again. The same people, but older, and almost the exact same situation as three years before. Tanya folded the letter silently, slipping it back into its envelope as she pondered upon her words. Tanya picked up her teacup, swilling it gently before taking a sip, letting the silence build.

"Katherine," Kat almost jumped when Tanya spoke. Their eyes met, and Tanya's eyes were understanding, yet hard and unyielding. Tanya asked quietly, "What do you want?"

Tanya Sloan was very different from her predecessors. While Katherine had never met Trini Kwan in person, she had heard from Billy and Tommy that the first Yellow Ranger was a very quiet and understanding person who listened very well. Aisha Campbell was a lot more outgoing, but she was also a really good listener. Both listened to you pour out your heart as you broke down, then slowly built you back up and pointed you in the right direction.

Tanya, was a good listener, but that was where the resemblance ended. Her mind would process all the information and all that she knew about you. And she would return your plea for advice with another question.

That question tended to be the crux of the matter. It stripped away any possible excuses you could give. In one fell swoop, that single question would destroy you and kick you down on the ground until you were heaving for breath.

If… IF you could answer that question, however, your path was as clear as day.

Tough love, Tanya had called it.

Katherine had never been more inclined to agree.

_8th December, 2000, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, California._

"Kat, is that you?" A male voice asked. Katherine turned around, recognised the foreign accent immediately.

"Nic! What a pleasant surprise!" Kat turned around, pulling him into a friendly hug. "How are you?" Nicholas Zhang was an international student from Singapore whose room was situated right beside Tommy's, and also Tommy's best friend in college.

"Third year's a pain." Nicholas shrugged. "I heard that you graduated, congratulations… And why isn't Tommy here?"

"I wanted to surprise him, but when I got here, I realised that I didn't have an access card to get in." Katherine replied sheepishly.

"I'm surprised the seniors or other upperclassmen didn't let you in. Most of them would recognise you on sight." Nicholas said with a frown, flashed his access card to the reader, which beeped once before unlocking the door.

"No one's gone in or out for the past fifteen minutes. Why would they recognise me?" Katherine was curious, although she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew the answer.

"Why not? You know you're like, the most _chio _girl to ever grace Blacker Hose in recent years, right?" Katherine blushed again. She had spent enough time with Nicholas over the years to figure out that his flawless American accent was used when he was serious, and he only reverted back to his creole when he was comfortable with the company. "You do know when I open that door, all eyes are going to be on you?"

Katherine sighed, resigned. She really didn't know what the fuss was about, but, Tommy had told her that he wasn't surprised that the whole house was almost-staring. To put it somewhat crudely, Katherine was hot, but she moved with a grace that was her ballet training, and a confidence that only Tommy knew was the poise of a Ranger. "I am very capable of handling myself, Nicholas, but I do appreciate the warning." Katherine pulled the door open, walking through. She stepped into the common room, with Nicholas right behind her. She could hear Nicholas counting down under his breath.

"Three… two…"

And there was the wolf whistle. It was as if Katherine was a living, walking magnet, and the eyes of all the males were bars of iron suspended from string. All their eyes turned to stare and gawk openly at the gorgeous blonde who had just entered Blacker House.

"Not even three seconds," she heard Nicholas mumble before she started walking with purpose towards Tommy's room with Nicholas at her back, every pair of male eyes staring at her in an uncharacteristically quiet common room.

Thankfully, another upperclassman broke the silence, shouting down the hall from the upper floor. "Yo OLIVER! Your lady's here to see you."

"Thanks Alex." Katherine called to male who had announced her arrival to Tommy, as she headed straight for the stairs, normal activity in the common room starting up again.

Katherine had just barely stepped out of the stairway when she felt two arms sliding underneath her armpits and lifting her into the air. She let out an involuntarily squeal, surprised, but relaxed immediately when she heard Tommy's laughter. Releasing some of her inhibitions, she laughed along with him. Her feet had touched solid ground for barely a moment before she was pressed up against his hard chest, his head dipping down slightly so that their lips could meet.

For a moment, Katherine let herself melt into that kiss, just for a moment, she let her troubles go. As their tongues met, she realized how much she _missed _Tommy. His hands were sliding around her hips, over her back, and down to her backside, gently running over…

"Bro, get a room _la." _The strange accent reminded them that they were on the stairway in the House. "Tommy, seriously. I really doubt you two are into exhibitionism." The sudden, near-effortless switch to a typical American accent jolted her. Nicholas was being too serious for the occasion. The couple pulled apart, breathless. Belated, Katherine realized that Tommy's hand had run up under her dress.

Nicholas, ever the gentleman, was looking aside as Katherine readjusted her dress, blushing hard. For good measure, she closed the front of her coat, tying the knot securely in place. Tommy had the good grace to be embarrassed for her, but shot Nic the look of someone who just got cockblocked. Nic started up the stairs again, smirking as he flashed Tommy the finger. Tommy only rolled his eyes in mild annoyance, long since gotten used to the antics of his friend. Katherine only giggled at their interaction, she was far too happy cuddled up against Tommy.

Katherine couldn't find it in herself to leave Tommy's side as they walked down the hallway to Tommy's room, which was at the end of the hall. Nic's room was right beside it. As Nic unlocked his door, he spoke again. "So, what you guys want for dinner?" He had reverted back to his own native accent.

Tommy looked at him, and even Katherine shot Nic an equally puzzled expression.

"Seriously _la,_ the moment you step through that door, you'll be fucking like rabbits until tomorrow _lor." _Nic had grabbed his wallet and keys and was already locking the door behind him.

Both Tommy and Katherine blushed immediately. Crude as Nicholas had been in expressing himself, neither could find it within themselves to protest.

"Okay _la_, _limpeh_ will be meeting Mandy for dinner tonight, I'll pick up some dinner for you two and then crash at Mandy's place, otherwise I cannot sleep. You two really_ sibeh_ noisy." Nic gave them a small wave as he walked off.

"Erm… That was awfully nice of him." Katherine started, as she entered Tommy's room and took a seat on the bed.

"Nic does take some getting used to." Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's crude and bit of an asshole."

"Well, he did stop you from flashing me to everyone on that stairway." Katherine said, rather thankful that he did interrupt them. "He might a little rough around the edges, but at least he's a gentleman."

"Hey! I haven't seen you in five months!"

Katherine only folded her arms, giving him a look. "It's still not acceptable to flash my underwear to everyone in your House!"

Tommy's voice dropped an octave as he closed the blinds. "How about now?"

_"Dammit!"_ Katherine cursed internally, _"I'm supposed to break-"_

The moment Tommy's lips met hers, her libido surged, wiping away all rational thought.

* * *

End Notes:

We're going to be staying in 2000 for a little while longer. The whole memory could be put into one chapter, but it'll be plenty long, and this seemed like a rather natural stopping point to end a chapter.

Tanya is a bit more of a challenge to write. There were never many story arcs involving Tanya and her character was never well explored even through Zeo and Turbo. It was a bit of a leap, but I tried to differentiate her from the first two Yellow "psychologists."

Yes, Caltech. I've decided to make Tommy SMART. Well, by extension, Trini, Billy, Hayley and Justin are probably smarter. I'm not from the USA, so I didn't even know that Caltech was in California until I started to google Universities in California. BBT Reference anyone :)

Singapore is a small island state in Southeast Asia (No, it's not in China). Singlish is actually a creole of theirs. It can be very confusing when a native English speaker first listens to them speak, partly because they do not emphasize any syllables in their words. Every space, comma and syllable takes more or less the same amount of time. It's almost as if it's a completely different language. The Singaporeans that I've been hanging out with have helped me in this chapter. It takes some time getting used to to filter out the words that don't belong in the English language and make the links so that the sentence can actually be understood. The Singaporeans that I've been hanging out with have helped me in this chapter. It also shares many similarities with how Malaysians speak informally.

A few translations.

1) _Chio: _Literally translated as 'Pretty' can be used interchangeably.

2) _la_ and _lor : _A addition, typically at the end of a sentence that doesn't really mean anything beyond an emphasis.

3) _Lim-peh: _Translated literally as "Your father" implies that one is superior to whomever one is addressing.

4) _Si-beh: _Translated literally as "Die father." A curse or swear used almost as interchangeably with "fucking". "Fucking noisy" and "_Sibeh _noisy" mean exactly the same thing.

Tommy can't be friendless in college. Australia's represented by Kat, so I put together an amalgamation of few fellow coursemates. For better or for worse, Nicholas is the result. I hope that his... well, weirdness, will lighten up this story about life.


	3. Internal Conflict

**A/N:** Small mentions of sex. I refuse to up the rating to M simply because of a mild situation. I freely admit that I have a dirty mind, but I spent more time trying to phrase things so that it would be T – friendly… Hopefully.

I'm really late for this chapter, and I have to apologize. I finished my exams on Wednesday, and spent a day drunk XD. Finally managed to proofread this Chapter for uploading today. Hope you enjoy. I've got a three week vacation, so I'm going to use those three weeks to relax (Read: Refine chapter plans) and maybe catch up on some games. Updates will be slower. We'll see.

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**Chapter 3: Internal Conflict.**

_8__th__ December, 2000: Caltech, Tommy's room._

Katherine decided that lying on her side, her head nestled in the crook of Tommy's shoulder, with her left arm across Tommy's chest and their legs entwined, was the very definition of bliss. Tommy seemed to echo that sentiment, with his left arm holding her shoulder, pulling her upper body even closer to his own. If she was perfectly honest with herself, Katherine was a sore, exhausted but very satisfied woman right now.

Three times they had made love. Well, a more accurate description was that they had _fucked _once, and made love twice. That first fuck had been rough, fast and almost animalistic, releasing the pent up frustration of not seeing each other in five months. With their lust satisfied, the other two times were slower, gentler, and infinitely more satisfying emotionally. Katherine had lost count of the times she had climaxed under Tommy's ministrations, which had reduced her into a boneless puddle. She had paid him back in kind, though, it had been nearly twenty minutes since he had finished, and Katherine hadn't felt any twitching against her thigh.

"I didn't expect you back until the twentieth, Kat." Tommy spoke as he took her left hand in his right, interlocking their fingers. "I've got one last paper tomorrow, and we'll have the whole Christmas to ourselves."

"I wanted to give you a surprise." Katherine shifted so that her upper body was pressed flat against his chest. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. While the sex with Tommy certainly hadn't been planned, she had mentally prepared a few contingencies. Katherine understood herself rather well, and she knew that she wasn't the best of liars. Distracting Tommy was one of the best ways to keep him from detecting something wrong until she could find a suitable moment to divulge her… news.

Katherine had just made things a great deal more complicated for herself. It had been a relatively warm day, at about 60 degrees, and she had deemed it warm enough to wear a dress. That dress had been a mistake, giving Tommy easy access to her sensitive spots. It wasn't to say that she wasn't at fault. She had been a very willing participant in the act… acts that had occurred here today.

Her intention in coming here was to try and break up with Tommy gently, not to have sex with him! Yet, here she was, in Tommy's bed… and all was right with the world…

No, it wasn't. Nothing was right. Katherine berated herself mentally. She was a terrible person. She had just committed the most physically intimate act that two people could possibly commit, and here she was, thinking of how to break up with him. The poor boy even had an exam tomorrow!

Katherine broke the kiss, looking up at the digital clock that was on his table. "It's quarter to six. We should get dressed."

"Nic's getting us dinner." Tommy said with a smirk. "And I finished revising for tomorrow's paper yesterday… We can spend a few hours more in bed before I need to sleep."

"You're insufferable, you know." Katherine crawled over him with a small smile, reaching for her underwear that was currently hanging on Tommy's chair. As she stood up, she felt Tommy running his hands down her sides, and down her legs, causing an involuntary gasp and a shiver to go up her spine. The touched raised things low in her stomach, and yet again, she cursed her body for reacting so. "No, Tommy." Katherine spoke firmly, stepping out of reach of his sensual hands. Almost immediately, she regretted it. She felt colder without his touch. Ignoring the chill, she reached for her underwear. She could feel his eyes on her as she dressed.

Oh god those eyes. Those eyes conveyed a billion emotions when they bored into hers as they made love. Those same eyes could somehow make her feel naked even though she already had her underwear on. "Could you stop staring?" Katherine asked, looking around the room for her dress.

"Can't. You're gorgeous." came the reply, causing Katherine to flush almost as pink as her dress, which she had located on top of his shelf.

"It isn't even anything fancy." Katherine mumbled as she pulled on the dress, reaching back to zip it up.

"It's a bonus when you wear something fancy…" Tommy's voice was lower, husky. Katherine heard the sheets moving, "Like that set of red lace…" He had stood up, and his glorious, naked body was pressed against her back. His hands snaking around her hips, he started to place kisses down her neck. "You're beautiful as it is."

"Oh God…" Katherine sighed as his lips left a wet trail down her neck. "Tommy…"

Light knocking snapped her out of her reverie. It was most likely to be Nic, with his promise of dropping off dinner. On past occasions Nicholas had commented that he avoided staying in his room whenever Kat was around. The light knocking was a way for Nicholas to figure out if they were still at it. If they answered the door, Nicholas could study in peace for the next three hours or so. If they didn't, he would usually head over to his girlfriend's.

"Ignore it," Tommy's voice was a quiet command, full of sensual promise. Katherine shivered, and for a moment, seriously contemplated listening to her boyfriend.

Her libido had been reawakened, but three rounds of sex had satisfied it somewhat. Katherine wanted so badly to jump back into bed with Tommy, but instead, she reached out for the doorknob and pulled.

Katherine had expected Nicholas to be there, but she didn't expect the petite blonde that was with him. Tommy immediately tensed, only Katherine's body blocking the couple's view of a very naked Tommy.

Nicholas looked up at her with widened eyes. He coughed, clearing his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "You guys really didn't need to stop on my account." He held up a bag. "I'll just leave dinner here; you guys can get back to whatever you were doing."

Katherine noticed that Nicholas was actually holding two plastic bags, "We should have dinner together." Katherine said brightly. She could literally feel Tommy's incredulous eyes burning into the side of her head. "I am rather hungry, Tommy." That part wasn't a lie. After their talk, Tanya had shooed Adam away so that the two of them could have some girl time. It resulted in them sleeping at nearly five in the morning. By the time Katherine woke up, it was nearly noon. She had taken a quick shower, and changed her clothes before she came down to Caltech. Katherine turned her head to face him, mindful of keeping her body still so that she could protect what little remained of Tommy's modesty. The pout on her face wasn't something that any sane man could simply ignore.

Both Nicholas and Mandy were giving her very strange looks. "I haven't eaten since two in the morning… I was at Tanya's." Katherine explained, more for Tommy's sake.

Nicholas look puzzled. "You were here since fourteen hundred. Why didn't you get something light?"

Behind him, his girlfriend, Mandy, pushed his head gently, raising an eyebrow , "Really? You need to ask?"

He rolled his eyes as he came to a realization. "Of course… Really? Four hours? … Why am I even surprised."

Katherine felt her face flush even further. Behind her, she could literally feel the smirk and self-satisfaction radiating from Tommy.

"_Get dressed, _Tommy, I'm starving." Reaching behind her, she gave Tommy's ass a soft pat.

"Ooh, kinky." Tommy whispered. Katherine flushed bright red again. In hindsight, that really wasn't the best of ideas. In front of her, the other girl had her palm against her forehead, shaking her head while Nicholas was looking at her and giving her a "What?" face.

"Really, Tommy? In front of us?" Mandy pushed her way past Nicholas into the room. "We don't need more reminders that the two of you have lots of animalistic sex, you know. I'm pretty sure Nic has many reasons as to why he stays over at my place whenever you come around, Kat." Mandy's hand had reached out to grasp Katherine's, gently tugging her away from Tommy. Katherine was unwilling to move. It was her fault that Tommy was naked in front of his friends, after all. The least that Katherine could do for him was to protect his modesty. Nicholas had already left Mandy's side, trying to stay as far away from Tommy's naked form as possible. Reaching Tommy's bed, he tugged the blanket off the bed, handing it to Tommy with his eyes averted. Understanding came to Katherine, and she stopped resisting.

As Katherine let herself get dragged out of Tommy's room, Mandy spoke in a lower tone, "Boys…" she sounded exasperated.

"Well… He did miss me." Katherine said brightly, behind her, she heard Tommy's voice.

"This never happened."

"I need alcohol. Hopefully I'll forget that I saw your wang-" that was Nicholas.

"Uhhh… Alcohol?" Katherine started, "Is Nic twenty-one?"

Mandy shot her a frown, which cleared up in the next moment "Oh, of course you wouldn't know how old that idiot is. The subject doesn't come up often." Mandy smiled fondly, softening the apparent insult. "Nic's twenty three. He was conscripted for two years, so he's two years older than most of us who entered college after high school." Mandy paused, before she stopped and turned to her. "He's been buying the House alcohol for years… And you haven't even said hello to me yet." Mandy turned, pouting and opening her arms.

Katherine rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly, stepping in close to embrace the shorter girl. Mandy Wood, by her own words, was the cute nerd next door. "It's good to see you again, Mandy."

"It's nice to see you too." Mandy's expression changed into a conspiratorial grin. "Were the two of you really at it for four hours?"

"Mandy!" Katherine didn't know whether to be outraged or embarrassed.

"Hey, I just wanted to know how good the reunion sex was. Longest time I've been away from Nic was two months. When we met again the sex was _amazing._" Mandy was grinning even more widely now, her eyebrows raised exaggeratedly.

"… You're teasing me… right?" Katherine asked uncertainly.

"Atta girl, you're catching on." Mandy's exaggerated grin disappeared, being replaced with a smaller, more natural smirk. "I'm still hoping you'll answer that question though… and possibly a few others." Mandy blew a raspberry at her.

Now that Katherine thought about it, this was actually the first time that the two of them were alone with each other. Whenever Mandy came by Blacker House, it was always to see Nicholas. Katherine knew them well enough to know that the couple was trying to leave them alone as often as possible. As such, Katherine was genuinely surprised at how… playful Mandy was, compared to Nicholas. How the heck did these two end up together? She had heard a few stories about Mandy's teasing, but she had never expected this.

"So, how's Caltech for dancers?" Mandy started the conversation again after a few moments of silence.

For a moment, Katherine was puzzled, what in the world was- Then she understood. "I've never really thought about it that way, but that's quite an accurate comparison." Katherine admitted, "I've just graduated, actually."

"Ooohhh… Must be exciting, isn't it? Have you found a job yet? I mean… You can travel the world… see all those different places doing what you love…" Mandy had a bit of a faraway look in her eyes as she paused in front of the water boiler. "Do you want tea?" Mandy offered, pulling out a box of teabags.

"It is pretty cool," Katherine admitted. "I've applied for a few jobs, although I'm not too sure about which one I should accept. And yes to the tea."

"You have companies offering you jobs already? You must be really good at what you do." Mandy set the water to boil, grabbing a few mugs from drawers as she did. Mandy had set three mugs on the counter, one for herself, one for Kat, and one for Nicholas, Katherine presumed.

Katherine shrugged, "I guess…" The letter from the Royal Ballet that was sitting in her purse that was currently in Tommy's room came to mind again.

"Something's troubling you." Mandy declared, her eyes scanning Katherine's face, leaving the mugs by the counter to move up closer to Kat.

"I'm sorry?" Katherine quickly rearranged her face into one of polite interest.

"Do you know how I became friends with Nic and Tommy?" Mandy asked, suddenly changing the topic. Katherine shook her head in response. To be fair, the subject had never really come up. All Tommy had said was that met Nic during Rotation. Mandy spent so much time working on the reports with Nic that she had acquainted herself with Tommy, eventually befriending him.

"You know that Nic and I are Biochem majors, right?" At Katherine's nod, Mandy continued. "Back in freshman year, there was a research project to be done in pairs, and the Professors knew we would gravitate to people we knew, leaving a number of students left out. So we drew lots, and I got paired with Nic for the rest of the semester."

"At first, I thought I got a good deal. Not to stereotype the Asian kid, but Nic's smart. But after a while… It just got old. We barely talked. I knew he was probably a little socially awkward, but I didn't expect him to be like, a robot. I mean, this is Caltech. Some geeks grow out of the phase, but you're still going to get a few who… well, stall. Nic's one of them."

"When we were working on our fortnightly reports, in his room I might add. He was just so serious that I had already started treating him as though he was really gay. I met Tommy, who lived next door. I mean, seriously. I've already worked with the guy for six weeks, and so far the closest person that I could describe as 'Nic's friend' was Tommy. I didn't even consider myself one of his friends."

"I caught him checking out my group of girlfriends once, so I know it's unlikely he's gay. So, one fine day, I just asked him. His reaction was hilarious.

_1998, 24__th__ February. Nicholas' room._

Nicholas was just taking a mouthful of water from his bottle when Mandy decided to ask the question. "Nicholas, are you and Tommy gay?"

Water erupted from his mouth, coating wall in water and spittle. The unlucky library books that were open in front of him were also caught in the deluge. He covered his mouth, desperately trying to get his coughing under control. He failed. When Nicholas could finally look at Mandy, she watched the water flow from both his mouth and nostrils calmly, handing him a napkin.

Internally, though, she was laughing so hard. It was all she could do to not burst out laughing. The expression on his face had been hilarious. She wished she could have captured that moment on film.

"What. The." Another round of coughing afflicted him. "FUCK?!" Nicholas sputtered. That was the first time that Mandy had ever heard Nicholas curse in a language she understood.

"I mean… he's the only person who you… well, treat like a person." Over the six weeks that she had been acquainted with him, their verbal exchanges had revolved around work. While it was very efficient, Mandy had found that such an impersonal work relationship was starting to be a drag.

"Please _lor. _I am so not gay." Nic muttered. Mandy had gotten used to filtering out the Singlish within a month of working with him. More often than not, Mandy had a sneaking suspicion that what most others considered unintelligible gibberish from under his breath, they were actually curses in another language.

"Then why do you treat me so differently?" Mandy was finally going to get some answers.

He sighed, "Look… I know I'm not the… most socially capable of individuals… But if I tell you, promise me you won't laugh, please?"

Mandy nodded, all too satisfied with herself at finally being able to get a human reaction out of Nicholas.

"I wasn't the most social of people when I was a kid… then I was conscripted, and spent two years in the Navy. Saw some surface action in anti-piracy patrols." His eyes narrowed, "Not something I particularly care to remember… I've… kinda forgotten how to be a kid." Nicholas shook his head, as if shaking himself free of a memory.

"After I ORDed, I met Tommy during Rotation, and from the moment I looked into his eyes, I knew he was like me, someone who had been forced to grow up too quickly. In fact, I think, for him, at least, it was worse. We… just clicked."

"And… ermyouarekindacute."

Mandy's eyes widened in surprise, and then it was followed by a grin. It was going to be fun making him squirm.

_8__th__ December, 2000_.

Katherine couldn't resist laughing. The mental image of the serious young man whose dry humor tended to grate on people's nerves sputtering with water dripping out of his nose was hilarious. "I was trying so hard not to laugh, and I'm really thankful I didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have caught that last bit. But Nic was serious. He was using that American accent of his. I still don't really understand what Nic meant by that. We talked for a bit more, and we started dating. He's a lot better now, he's been forcing himself to do stuff he won't usually do. But there are times when he needs his space. Every now and then he just locks himself in his room, probably playing Diablo 2 or something. I became friends with Tommy soon after. You got a good catch, you know." Mandy poured the boiling hot water into the mugs, setting them on the table. "We had a good laugh about the gay joke after I found out that you were involved with Tommy."

Katherine was feeling uncomfortable as it was. Mandy hadn't known how accurate Nicholas' assessment of Tommy had been. Tommy was far older than he seemed to be, but unlike Nicholas at the time, he had tried to bury it deep and live a life as normal as possible. Katherine knew, though, that that maturity, that seriousness, manifested itself in ways that was common to all Rangers who were trying to live a normal life now.

They worked extraordinarily hard at whatever they did. It wasn't unexpected, though. The Power Rangers had saved the world time and time again. Every battle wasn't just a battle for their lives, but it had been a fight for the very planet itself. How could coursework, no matter how advanced it was, even compare to having the weight of the world on their shoulders? When you compared it that way, everything was easy.

"And that's how I know that look. Tommy and Nic both have that same face when they're troubled. I see it more often on Tommy's face, though, usually when Nic and I are bantering. Tommy misses you more than he lets on." Katherine belatedly realized that Mandy had never dropped the subject in the first place, and it showed on her face. That story had been told with the intention of making her drop her guard, which she had. Mandy looked smug. "Cough it up. You know I got you."

Katherine shook her head, her expression serious. Even through the noise in the common room, she could hear Nicholas and Tommy trading insults, they were too close.

Mandy's eyes shifted to the doorway, then back at Kat. Kat watched as a shadow passed over the other blonde's face. Mandy knew that something that involved Tommy was troubling her. But figuring out exactly what needed more information that Katherine just wasn't going to divulge to someone she just met. Thankfully, before Mandy could press her more, Nicholas had entered the kitchen, setting the takeout on the table, giving Mandy a brief hug from behind and a whispered "Thanks for the tea." A small smile graced the girl's lips as she reached for the boxes of food.

Tommy, dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt, took the seat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Katherine let him, snuggling into his shoulder. Silently, she cursed Mandy's name. Why did Mandy have to remind her of her troubles? She had been hoping that dinner and the company could take her mind off things for a bit, but now? At this point in time, her mind was flooded with thoughts. Did she have to break up with Tommy? Were her dreams mutually exclusive? Or was she placing herself in a false dilemma? Among other couples in long distance relationships, they had an easier time. The communicators that Billy had designed years ago still worked, if it wasn't for the time difference, it was easy to make the call. The only real reason that Katherine sent letters was because they had a personal feel to it, which Tommy agreed.

But it wasn't fair to Tommy. Could she even ask him to wait another two years for her? Granted, they were only twenty-one, but Tommy could have been having the time of his life in college. Without Katherine, Tommy didn't need to stay up late at night just to talk to her over the communicator in the mornings before she went off to school. If she wasn't around, Tommy wouldn't need to run around campus in the middle of the day trying to find scarce privacy so that he could wish her goodnight.

"Kat? The beef noodles are yours. Help yourselves to the other dishes too." Mandy motioned to the three open containers on the table. Katherine wasn't really listening, though. She was lost in her thoughts.

Maybe… Tommy would have been better off without her.

The thought brought tears to her eyes instantly.

With his arm around her, Tommy easily noticed that shudder that passed through Katherine's body, and they didn't stop.

"Kat?" Tommy turned Katherine to face him properly. Katherine looked away, unable to meet his eyes, only to see the concerned faces of Mandy and Nicholas.

How could Tommy look at her with such concern in his eyes when she was such a terrible person? She had come here to Caltech to break up with him, in the middle of his exam period, no less. Unable to control her own body, she had slept with him. Not just once, but three times. Here Tommy was, still oblivious to the evil that she was going to inflict on him yet again.

There was Nicholas, who was ever her gentlemanly escort whenever she came to Blacker House without Tommy at her side. More than once, he had been her messenger boy, willingly running upstairs to get Tommy out of his room so that she didn't have to suffer the entirety of Blacker House staring at her. Over the years, she had woken up in Tommy's room, only to open the door and find takeout dinners hanging on the doorknob, and on one particular late-night trip to the toilet, a few buns for breakfast. His crude choice of words sometimes grated on her nerves, but his actions were those of a friend who cared.

And his girlfriend, Mandy, the little tease. Mandy wasn't obligated to pull Katherine out of awkward situations, or interrupt her dinner date with Nicholas so that 'another girl' could join them, but she did it anyway.

They were good people. Nice people who were willing to go the extra mile for a friend.

What about her? She had been a Power Ranger, a role model that parents spoke of to inspire their children. She was supposed to be a paragon of all that was good and right.

Yet, here she was, a slut who could barely control her hormones.

Tommy shook her gently, "Kat? What's wrong?"

She was a despicable liar, that was what was wrong.

On the opposite side of the table, Nic's face had turned into a frown. Mandy looked puzzled.

As the tears started to drip down her cheeks, it was all Katherine could do to choke out an "I'm sorry."

Ranger-level strength caught Tommy by surprise, breaking Tommy's hold on her shoulders easily

It took her a second to leave the kitchen.

Two more seconds to reach the exit, which had coincidentally opened just as she was running.

And she was out of Blacker House.

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**End Notes**: The same way I believe in violence with purpose, I also believe in intimacy with purpose. Hopefully it serves its purpose.

I think I've given a bit of depth to my OCs, although I'm getting the feeling that "author godmode" is starting to affect the story. I will endeavour to keep that from happening.

ORD: Operationally Ready Date. The Singaporean equivalent of a conscript's honorable discharge from service. Often used as a verb because it's too much of a mouthful to say "Honorably discharged"

Some strong words being used near the end, I hope the self-loathing isn't too much.


	4. The Soldier and the Geek

**Chapter A/N:** This chapter is a little short, but sometimes it's just a natural stopping point. This will probably be the last chapter for the next three weeks. I've got three weeks of vacation before school starts up again. I'll be taking my time to work on Chapter 5. Thanks for reading, and special thanks to everyone who left a review.

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**Chapter 4: The Soldier and the Geek. **

Katherine really hadn't thought things through at all. She had succeeded in getting away from Tommy, but now she was outside on a winter night, without her coat or her keys. This really wasn't one of her better plans. A gust of winter wind blew past, forcing Katherine to hold the hem of her dress down, the chill of winter biting deep into the bone. Katherine shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to conserve her body heat. Katherine cast a longing look back at Blacker House, sniffling as she did. The plan had been to find Tommy, and break up with him gently.

Then Katherine could go spend a few days at Tanya's bawling and crying about why life was so unfair.

But Katherine had never counted on Tommy being so damn _sexy_. Katherine hadn't expected the sexual tension between them to just explode. God, the sex had been _fantastic._ As much as Katherine had loved Tommy at her back, spooning her body as he whispered a soft "I love you" in her ears, her conscience had been banging desperately against a cage that had been buried deep under her lust and her heart.

Katherine turned into a little alcove, where benches surrounded a fountain. The winds couldn't reach this secluded corner. Over the years, Katherine had spent many an afternoon here with Tommy. Tommy would often bring his books out here, and Katherine would be content leaning against him as he studied. Settling down on a bench, she cuddled in upon herself, she _missed_ Tommy. Katherine missed him so badly. She missed having dinner with him. She missed the walks in the park in Angel Grove, where they would look at scorch marks and remember the monsters they had destroyed together. She missed walking driving around the neighbourhood with him, remembering the number of close calls that they had. She missed making love to him, being able to hold his body within hers as they shared their burdens. She missed waking up beside him in the morning, watching the morning sun filter through the blinds and illuminating his peaceful, sleeping face.

The Earth revolved around the sun, the moon revolved around the earth, the tides rose and fell, and Katherine loved Tommy.

"You really should be careful after dark, Katherine." Katherine almost jumped when she heard Nicholas' disapproving voice, but relaxed. Katherine was no normal human, and she trusted in her instincts to tell her if something was wrong. Besides, even in this state, she was more than a match for any human. She ignored him, wanting to be left alone with her thoughts.

Katherine felt Nic's presence come up behind her, followed by a sudden weight upon her shoulders. The fabric inside was as soft as a blanket, causing Katherine to immediately nuzzle into the collar for warmth. She could feel Nic's hands settling the coat on her shoulder. Katherine reached to either shoulder, pulling it closed around her body

Katherine turned around, finally meeting Nicholas' eyes. His face was stoic and impassive, more focused on trying to make sure that the coat covered as much of her as possible. "It's Mandy's, she thought you might need it." Nicholas said, before Katherine could even open her mouth to ask.

"Thank her for me." Katherine pulled the coat tighter around her, grateful for the warmth.

"Thank her yourself later." Nicholas sat down on the bench beside her, silently staring at the fountain at the center of the courtyard. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a packet of tissues. Silently, he offered the packet to her.

Katherine took it silently, ripping the packet open and pulling out a piece to dab at the trail of tears along her cheeks. There was silence between them. Nicholas seemed to fixate on the fountain, the constant sound of splashing water punctuated by the occasional horn of a car in the distance. It… felt strange. Katherine wasn't uncomfortable with silence per se, but for the majority of her life, she had been surrounded by people who couldn't bear to stand around doing absolutely nothing. Not even quiet Adam could sit around doing absolutely nothing.

"Nicholas?" his only response was to turn his head, raising an eyebrow to her. "Why are you here?" Katherine immediately winced at how it sounded. "Sorry, that came out wrong… Just… I thought Tommy would have come after me."

Nicholas cocked his head, "_Do _you want him to come after you?"

Katherine paused, thinking for a moment. "Not really…"

Nicholas' head turned back towards the fountain. "That's what I thought."

"That doesn't really explain why you're here." Katherine pressed. She had just thought of it, but she could have easily morphed into her Ninjetti form, and then Streaked her way to Tanya's. It was delaying the inevitable of seeing Tommy again to get her purse and keys, but suddenly, even Tanya's didn't sound very appealing. Katherine… Katherine wanted to be alone with her thoughts. That wasn't to say she wanted Nicholas to leave, though. His presence was… oddly comforting. Tommy would have bugged her about what was wrong until she opened up. Tanya would have welcomed her back with open arms, but she would have demanded the story eventually.

Instead, she felt no expectation of the elder male. He seemed content to sit there, staring at the fountain while she organized her thoughts.

He turned his head once again, looking her straight in the eye. Katherine met his gaze head on. For the first time in three years, after hearing Mandy's passing remarks, she recognized what she saw there. Katherine could see the haunted gaze of someone who had known battle. And she knew that that the same look was mirrored in her eyes. In that moment, Katherine understood Nicholas. He wasn't just quiet because he was a socially awkward geek. In Caltech, a geek among geeks was hardly anything unique. He was quiet because he had seen something that he would forever remember, something that would haunt his nightmares for years to come, and he was still working his way through it.

"You're my friend." Nicholas finally replied. He said it quietly and in such a matter-of-fact manner as one would say that the sky was blue. However, it was deeper than that. 'Friend' barely touched the surface. Katherine finally understood why Tommy and Nicholas got along so well. Tommy had figured Nicholas out long before she had, and had seen a soul that needed an understanding only a fellow warrior could provide. In return, Nicholas had helped him adjust to the academic rigor required of a top research university, which was a steep learning curve from high school.

Content with her conclusion, she remained silent. At this point, Katherine really wasn't thinking about anything at all. All she was doing was holding off the inevitable. Katherine stood up, turning to Nicholas. "Nic?"

Nicholas stood up and waited for her to continue, the unspoken question easily understood by Katherine. Katherine pulled him into a hug, she felt him tense in surprise, then relax as he returned the hug awkwardly. "You were right." She whispered into his ear, placing a peck on his cheek before she pulled away. Katherine had wanted to have some quiet time to herself to think, but neither did she want to be truly alone. She appreciated that he hadn't judged her or jumped to conclusions, he was just there, waiting.

Katherine pulled back, meeting his eyes, "Thank you, Nicholas."

He snorted lightly, raising his eyebrow with a smirk on his face as he turned away, heading towards the exit.

To anyone other than a few people that could be counted with two hands, that snort and smirk would have been taken as mocking arrogance. But as Katherine fell into step beside her friend, she knew it was his way of saying, "You're my friend. I won't do anything less."

"By the way, where IS Tommy?" Katherine asked, the question suddenly popping into her mind. She was ready to see him, but she realized that she didn't have a clue as to where he was.

"In his room. Mandy's keeping him there."

"Wait what?" Katherine did a double take, "How did you get Tommy back up to his room to be patiently waiting for me?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand. He's hardly patient." The smirk that was crossing Nicholas' face could only be described as mischievous and he was losing his American accent. Both were not good signs.

"Nicholas… tell me what happened after I ran out." Katherine's eyes narrowed, enunciating every word.

"It took him about thirty seconds to recover and get out of his chair after you left. He opened the front door and apparently didn't see you. I think he was frantic." Nicholas turned to her as he slowed his steps, "You had us worried there, you know, leaving like that." A fresh pang of guilt hit Katherine, she had probably Streaked without meaning to, which was why she had been out of Tommy's field of view.

Nicholas' resumed his normal walking speed as he continued. "He walked back in with that focused look on his that time Mandy and I were already waiting. He was ticking off fingers, and I heard him mutter 'Tanya's before he started running up the stairs. As if you could get to Tanya's," Nicholas rolled his eyes, scoffing as his accent changed to reflect his seriousness. "It's dark, and you didn't have your purse with you. You couldn't drive or call a cab." Katherine knew what Tommy had been thinking, though, and he had been accurate. Katherine could have easily used her Ninjetti Powers to Streak from rooftop to rooftop until she reached Tanya's apartment, where she could crash for the night. Not that Nicholas would have known that.

"So I told Mandy to keep him in his room. If I tried to stop him, Tommy wouldn't have had any qualms knocking me out to go after you. If it was Mandy in his way though, Tommy would be more limited in his options. It worked though. He's lying face flat on the floor with Mandy on his back."

"How did you ever manage to pull that off?" Katherine had an incredulous look on her face. How did the two of them floor Tommy? This was TOMMY, former leader of the Power Rangers for three years. He was arguably the best martial artist in the world. How the hell-

"Took a cheap shot. He bent over looking for his keys, I literally jacked kicked his ass and he fell over. Mandy sat on him. He can't dislodge her without hurting her, and angry as he is, he won't hurt her… and even if he does manage to move her…" Nicholas smirked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of car keys. "Return these to him for me, will you? I'd be better off avoiding him for the next few days."

Katherine's mouth dropped wide open. "You…stole Tommy's keys, jack kicked him in his ass, he fell over and Mandy sat on him." Katherine summarized, not quite believing the words that were coming out of her mouth. "I don't know whether to feel outraged on his behalf or to fall over laughing."

"Why does that surprise you? Weirder things have happened in the three years I've known Tommy. That week Mandy and I spent at Angel Grove last year? No offence, but your friends are… kinda crazy."

Katherine couldn't disagree. As a former resident of Angel Grove, 'weird' had a very different definition as compared to the rest of the world. As Rangers, it was worse, the 'weird' overflowed into their civilian lives. More than once, Katherine had lain in bed with her covers over her head, muttering "Fuck it all" as 'weird' blew over. Right after Kimberly had given her the Pink Crane powers, observant residents of Angel Grove had noticed that the Pink Ranger was suddenly much taller and had a very different accent. The ensuing manhunt had Billy and Tommy wincing and muttering something about a 'Rangers' Parade' that had occurred a previous year. That didn't last for long, thankfully, since they were turned into children, and the Alien Rangers from Aquitar took over their duties for awhile. By the time they had returned to normal, and gained the Zeo Powers, the manhunt had blown over…

'Thankfully, they were turned into children.' Katherine did a double take at the sentence that ran through her head. God, her life was weird.

"You're different from them, though."

Katherine raised her eyebrow in a question. "Well… Among… Rocky, Adam, Tanya, Tommy, Jason… and the kid? Justin?" at Katherine's nod, Nicholas continued, "Besides you, none of them can stay still. It's always… well, noisy… For me, it was a little overwhelming. Having Mandy around helped a lot."

The more Katherine thought about it, the more she realized how accurate Nicholas was. She had always been the quiet one. She liked meeting new people and interacting with them, but unlike the rest of the team, Katherine was perfectly fine with doing absolutely nothing. She was an introvert, but she channeled it differently from Nicholas. While he would lock himself away from people for a day or so just to read or play video games, Katherine danced.

When Katherine danced, there was nothing but the music and her. It wasn't done on purpose. Even on stage during her exhibition performance, in front of a hundred people, Katherine just danced. It was similar to the combat trance that she instinctively slipped into when fighting. She was aware of everything that was going on around her, the other Rangers, the number of foot soldiers around her, but they weren't really there. There was only Katherine, her body, and the deadly dance of destruction she brought to the foot soldiers around her. That was probably why her passion for ballet had never waned over the years.

"Yeah, they do take a bit of getting used to." Katherine smiled, but it disappeared from her face just ask quickly as they stepped up to the door of Blacker House. Nicholas stepped up, flashing his key card, opening the door to let them both in.

Earlier in the day when Katherine had walked in through the door, the House had fallen silent upon her entry. But this time, there was a brief moment of silence before the noise started up again. Judgmental gazes turned their eyes on her. Gossip and theories about 'Tommy's girlfriend' floated about the common room, assaulting her senses.

"Ignore them," Nicholas said loudly. Holding her arm by the bicep, Nicholas steered her up the stairway towards Tommy's room.

Their steps echoed along the stairway, each resounding tap on the concrete seemed to be a countdown to something ominous. As they entered the hallway, Katherine paused. She swallowed, turning to Nicholas. "Nic… I-"

Nicholas cut her off, turning away from her to look down the hallway. "Do whatever you need to do, Katherine. Whatever it is, I know you'll do what's best for the both of you."

"You'll… You and Mandy… You'll take care of him, won't you?" Katherine bit her lip. She knew the answer, but she had to ask.

Nicholas snorted, as he turned to meet her eyes, his eyebrows raised and his eyes challenging. Katherine's heart settled, that was all the answer she needed.

There was nothing left to be said between them. They walked down the remainder of the hallway in silence. They were just about to pass Nicholas' room when a sudden screech stopped them in their tracks.

"FUCK YOU TOMMY!" Mandy's voice screeched down the hallway.

"I warned you didn't I?" came Tommy's defensive reply.

"I didn't expect you to really FART IN MY FACE YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"I've held it for the past fifteen minutes! I couldn't stand it anymore!"

"JESUS! What the fuck have you been eating?! It's DISGUSTING!"

"You know I haven't eaten anything since breakfast! GET OFF ME!"

"Not happening you ASSHOLE. You REALLY think I'm going to let you drive in this state? You'll get us KILLED!"

Katherine could only stare at Nicholas while he had a thoughtful look on his face. "Well… I've never farted in her face. That's got to be a first." Nicholas deadpanned in a whisper, looking mildly amused. "And that's a completely new level of weird for Tommy."

For a sane person, there are some situations in which there are no words to describe the feeling of incredulity and exasperation. Sometimes, the universe leaves you at a complete loss for words, and only actions can suffice in conveying one's emotions.

For Katherine, after the day she's had, this was one of those moments.

Katherine lifted her head to the sky, silently asking, "Oh dear God why me." before she brought her hand to her forehead.

Sometimes, nothing else could convey meaning better than a facepalm.

Nicholas broke into a grin at Katherine's facepalm, but it quickly faded. The atmosphere around the two changed, Katherine's eyes narrowed slightly in focus, her mouth set into a thin line. This was it. Katherine stepped into the open doorway, the light along the hallway at her back cast her shadow into the room. Tommy was lying face flat on the ground, supporting his face with his elbows. Mandy had grabbed his knees, holding his legs together, lying astride Tommy's body, her face still scrunched up at the fart that Tommy had ripped loose just moments earlier.

Tommy noticed the lack of light first, "Nic if that's you I'm going to KILL YOU!"

Mandy looked up, noticing Katherine, and had to visibly bite back a retort that was probably intended for Tommy. Mandy's eyes narrowed as she pouted angrily. "You OWE me."

Katherine stepped into the room, offering Mandy a hand up. "Thank you for taking care of him, Mandy." Mandy took it, her expression softening. Underneath Mandy, Tommy had visibly tensed at the sound of Katherine's voice. Katherine gently guided Mandy to Nicholas, who was leaning against the doorway. Katherine pulled off the borrowed coat, handing it to Mandy. "Would you two give us a moment? I think we have a lot to talk about."

Nicholas nodded once, turning his back. Mandy had just barely enough time to give the couple a look of sympathy before Katherine gently shut the door.

* * *

**End Notes:**

I realized that I didn't mention this earlier if anyone's feeling confused. Singaporean citizens are conscripted into two years of service with their Armed Forces. Through talking with my friends, I've found out that the experience of serving has changed them more than they care to admit.

Piracy was especially terrible along the straits of Malacca and Singapore straits during the 90s, even now Australia has its own Navy on anti-piracy patrols under an Anti-Piracy task force.

All credit for the "Rangers' Parade" is to a fanfic titled "Of Love and Bunnies" by Crazygirl47. It's a must-read for any Power Rangers fan. It's not completed, which is a huge shame, but it's provided me with laughs since I first started reading it back in 2008. Check it out /s/2213080/1/Of-Love-and-Bunnies

Funny thing that happened to me a couple of days ago. That farting thing? There was this really smelly old man who sat beside me in the cinema the other day when I was catching a movie with my best friend… And another middle-aged man who was just farting REALLY loudly non-stop throughout the whole movie… It completely ruined my mood. So in typical best friend fashion, my bro starts laughing silently at me as I'm facepalming, because nothing else short of exploding could possibly express my displeasure at that point. Therefore, I give you the Facepalm.


End file.
